


Pearled Pain

by AvaCelt



Series: Gintama Prompt Fills [5]
Category: Gintama
Genre: M/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 17:34:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7062769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvaCelt/pseuds/AvaCelt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His laugh wasn’t melodious or soft, instead brash and grating to Gintoki’s nerves. His sobs, though, when Tatsuma cried, he cried his heart out. Heart-wrenching sobs crawled from the pit of his stomach and into his throat. His eyes spilled more tears than the skies, and when he had no more tears left to shed, he retreated into a fetal position that made Gintoki want to kill whoever hurt him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pearled Pain

When Tatsuma cried, Gintoki felt like committing murder. It was expected. Tatsuma had a very loud laugh, one that reverberated through fields, encampments, wherever Tatsuma happened to be. His laugh wasn’t melodious or soft, instead brash and grating to Gintoki’s nerves. His cries, though, when Tatsuma cried, he cried his heart out. Sobs crawled from the pit of his stomach and into his throat. His eyes spilled more tears than the skies, and when he had no more tears left to shed, he retreated into a fetal position that made Gintoki want to kill whoever hurt him.

So one day, after a battle that took out half of their vanguard, Gintoki found Tatsuma whimpering painfully while he undid binds and unfolded a blindfold from the body of a young girl. Gintoki remembered that the Amanto reserve they fought that day were involved in the mass kidnappings and murder of young children across Tatsuma’s region. Ginoki’s blood boiled.

“Who was she?” He asked hollowly.

“A girl from my village,” Tatsuma croaked, rocking the body back and forth as he continued to cry.

Years later, the war that killed those children and took Tatsuma’s smile for a month would fade into obscurity. But Gintoki remembered, and he knew Tatsuma did too.

“Why’s bushy-bush opening a school for poor kids, Gin-chan?” Kagura asked Gintoki one afternoon, fifteen years after that battle.

“Why not?” Gintoki shrugged, his red eyes fixed on Tatsuma’s bright figure.

“Shinpachi said bushy-bush gave him a job. Maybe we should ask too, Gin-chan. We need an air conditioner for the summer.”

Gintoki stretched his body and grabbed his bokutou. “Sure.”

They didn’t talk about the little girl or the thousands of other children they found murdered during the war. Tatsuma ran his school and Gintoki cleaned bathrooms and swept floors. When it was time to walk the children back to their orphanages and shacks, Gintoki would join Tatsuma as he made sure every child reached home after the bell ring.

“Don’t ever cry again,” Gintoki slurred drunkenly one evening. “It makes me wanna kill. I don’t wanna kill. I want you to smile.” Tatsuma chuckled into his chest, but Gintoki felt the tears soak through his shirt. But this time, this time Gintoki let it go because Tatsuma was safe, the children were safe, and that’s all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for "Character Whump Fic Meme." Originally posted on my [Tumblr writing blog](http://victorsandvanquishers.tumblr.com/) and now being archived here for the A03 writing community.


End file.
